Darkness Falls
by LadyGinoza
Summary: After a long day of work the division calls it quit for the day as Ginoza stays behind to work on his report when strange things starts occurring around him.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Psycho-Pass or the Characters.

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It was surprising that the enforcers submitted their reports so early, even Kagari had his done in no time at all today and much to our luck there wasn't any disturbance in the city and everyone was able to call it quits for the day and retire back to their quarters.

They all seemed rather eager to leave for some sort of reason; even Tsunemori went in a hurry. I don't think you could have paid her to stay late today which is kind of odd for her, she wants to prove herself so much and is more than willing to put in some extra work time but she left the office in all haste along with the enforcers after she submitted her report.

I have to admit that leaving early sounds like a good idea. I could use some rest, I have to put some effort just so no one notices that I'm exhausted. Chances are that Masaoka probably noticed, he's been quieter than usual and the rest well they never notice anything that goes on in the office anyway but I'm sure Masaoka knows that I'm not exactly well but chooses not to say a single word about it.

Normally I would have done the finalization of the team's reports tomorrow morning but since I have everything that I need at the moment, I might as well do it right now and besides going home a bit later won't make much of a difference anyway.

I have to say that I am impressed with everyone's report, each is so well written this time. I never had any doubts about Kougami's or Masaoka's, theirs are always flawless but I was at least expecting Kagari's to be a bit problematic like usual and that I would have had to ask him to redo it all over again tomorrow but it's perfectly fine. It's good to see that he actually applied himself this time unless he managed to get someone else to write his report for him which wouldn't be something I'd put past him of doing. Tsunemori's report on the other hand shows signs of improvement.

I can't complain, I'm satisfied with the contents that I've received and that means writing up my report to finalize everything to send to the Chief will be even easier than I had predicted which I don't mind in the slightest. One thing less to do tomorrow and that's what really matters.

The sudden Flickering of the lights catches my attention away from my screen. It's just a rapid flicking more like a spasm. It's not flicking to a point of affecting the lighting of the office, the place is well illuminated still but the flashing lights are a bit disturbing, it's a bit painful on the eyes after a while.

That's rather strange though since they've been working fine all day… I guess the fluorescent lights must be starting to worn out; actually I don't recall when was the last time they got changed. A year ago maybe…? I'll have to send a request to get them replaced later once I'm done with my report. Right now I just don't have the time to waste and besides at this hour I really doubt it that a technician will be available to change the lights so I'll just have to make due and hope for the best.

I ignore the rapid flicking and resume working on my report and if the flicking wasn't already annoying the sounds emitting from them is making it even worse to the point that it's becoming rather difficult to concentrate.

I keep on working, trying my best to ignore everything but my work when the lights start flickering even harder than before as if they're having a seizure. They go from shinning extremely bright to shinning very low and so on with a louder static sound coming from them.

The flashing lights are a bit nauseating as I feel a headache starting to build up and I try to ignore both the lights and the throbbing in my head and try to concentrate on finishing my report with little success. No matter how hard I try I just can't focus and then just like that the lights suddenly go out. My monitor being the only source of light in the dark office…

Great…

Just fucking perfect…

I let out a frustrated sigh and quickly save my report. There's no way I can work like this…

Just when everything had been going so smoothly all day, it just couldn't last now could it. I guess it can't be helped, maybe it's a sign that I really should go home and get some rest. Sibyl knows that I need it the most. I guess I'll just have to finish the report tomorrow morning then…

Now what?

I don't know if it's just me, that maybe I'm just a little impatient or whatever but somehow it feels like my computer has greatly slowed down just now. It says that it's saving my work and I see that it's currently working but nothing is happening, like it's frozen or something… Or that my computer is having problems saving this file specifically which just makes absolutely no sense. My computer always works perfectly, actually it's been working just fine all day.

What gives?

First the lights and now my computer!?

I stare at the screen. Waiting, when something catches my eye around the top corner of the screen. I slowly approach the screen when I see it again, the screen is lagging as if something is interfering with it and with each passing seconds it keeps getting worse and worse until I completely lose my screen to nothing but a black and white static image.

My reflex responded before my mind could even process what had just happened. Before I even knew it I had jolted up to my feet, backing away from my computer as if it was somehow alive and I can't help but just have this weird feeling deep down in my gut.

Is it the dead silence in the office, the darkness surrounding me, everything that is electronic is dying or is it everything combined that's making me uneasy? Or maybe it's the fact that I barely have three hours of sleep in me, maybe but I don't know. All I know is this just creeped the hell out of me just now.

I don't like this feeling, maybe it's just me being a bit paranoid but I don't want to be in here. I can't stay here any longer. My instincts is telling me to leave and that's what I do as I grab my jacket and walk towards the door, hoping that they are still fully functional and much to my relief they still are and I waste no time exiting the dark office before the doors too starts to malfunction.

The hall is quiet… Empty… But it's not dark and that's all that matters right now to help calm myself down when suddenly I feel something behind me and I quickly turn around only to find nothing at all…

I could have sworn that I felt like someone was there, that someone was watching me but I'm alone and there is no one there.

I feel like a total idiot…

I'm just a bit jumpy from what happened in the office earlier that's all. Everything is fine, it's just a minor technological problem and I'm tired which doesn't help so it's just normal that I'm on edge a little. I just have to go home, take a nice hot shower and get some rest. Tomorrow will be better; I'll sort out the problem in the office when I come in tomorrow morning.

I start walking down the hall as I put on my jacket when the lights starts flickering just like the ones in the office did before they went dead and I quicken my pace as I keep thinking to myself that it's probably nothing but that doesn't stop my heart from pounding faster in my chest.

It's just problems with the electrical, its technology and technology has their flaws and that's what I keep telling myself to keep me from panicking. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening; it's just a pure coincidence. These lights must have been installed at the same time as the ones in the office so it would only be natural that they would all die out at the same time and before I could reach the end of the hall the lights suddenly goes out.

I hold out my hands in front of me to try to feel for the wall and use it to guide myself through the darkness that now surrounds me and to make matters worse the security lights haven't kicked in. I can't see anything and somehow even though I've worked here for years, this darkness creeps me out and the fact that I can't see where I'm going only further fuels my ever growing anxiety as I try to navigate through the halls that I practically know by heart now and yet they somehow feel so different without the lights on.

The exact same feeling I had before creeps up on me again, somehow I feel like there's someone there but I can't see anyone. Not that I would be able to see anyone in this darkness but at least I don't hear anything other than the sound of my own footsteps and yet I can't shake off this feeling that someone is there… Not someone. Something…

I back away with my hand still touching the wall when I suddenly feel nothing under my hand and I stumble backwards but still manages not to fall down somehow and end up hitting my back against a wall.

I know I'm being ridiculous. I got spooked for nothing; I just reached the end of the hallway, nothing more than that. There's nothing going on in this building, it's just an electrical issue and everything that I'm feeling or hearing is all in my head. I'm tired, my mind is tired and it's playing tricks on me.

If I go down this hall I'll find the elevator and I'll be able to get off this floor, get out of this darkness and go home. I just need to take a few more steps and I'll start seeing the elevator and as expected there it is. The red number on top of the door is the only thing that is lightly illuminating the dark all and a small freck of red light where the button to make its doors open.

I quickly press the button and I'm greeted by the soft ding followed by the doors opening and the light welcomes me. I've never been happier to see lighting as much as I do right now and I waste no time entering the elevator and press the button for the elevator to take me to the main floor.

The soft ding alerts me and the doors closes and I feel the elevator starting to move when the elevator's light starts to flicker, the exact same thing as before and I feel my heart starting to pound harder as the light flickers harder and harder until everything goes black and the elevator suddenly stops causing me to get knocked down on my knees.

I nervously crawled to the command board and pressed the emergency button. I can't tell how much time passed as I waited, it felt like an eternity but no one ever answered my call for help. No matter how many times I pressed the emergency button, there was no one and after a while I started hearing a faint static sound coming from the small speaker next to the emergency button and little by little the static grew louder bit by bit and I quickly backed away from it when I started hearing something mixed in with the static.

A voice?

If it was someone's voice, there was no way that it was human. It didn't sound human! I have to get out of here!

The static noises and the odd voice suddenly disappeared followed by the elevator giving a sharp tug as it starts moving again but the lights never returned and I remained in total darkness before the elevator made a violent stop followed by the soft ding, a sound that only helped to make the atmosphere creepier.

The doors slowly opened, somehow they felt slower than usual or maybe it's my panic speaking. As the doors open, the darkness is consumed by the light and I slowly get up from the corner I had been sitting at and carefully got off the elevator, looking around… This isn't the main floor; instead of going down it took me up to the enforcer's floor.

I cautiously advance and again the lights starts to flicker and I beg that they don't go out. That somehow they will just continue to flicker endlessly and I'll be fine and everything that's happened since was all a fabrication of my mind.

I wander cautiously towards the end of the hall; I don't even bother knocking on the door and simply just enter the enforcer's quarter only to find it empty. He's not here, surprisingly. I was sure that I would have found him drinking on his couch alone at this hour but he's not here. Of course he's not. Just like always, he's never there when I actually need him.

I leave Masaoka's quarters, go back into the flickering hallway that seems to have gotten worse if it was even possible to begin with and I found myself quickening my pace when suddenly the hall goes completely dark and my anxiety kicked up a notch as I fumble towards the elevator, pressing on the button but nothing happens.

Looks like the elevator went dead with the lights and I'm forced to abandon it, cautiously making my way through the hall when the emergency lights starts to flicker and I see a small figure at the end of the hall. A dark figure standing in front of Masaoka's door and the air as significantly dropped.

I take a few steps back before turning around towards the elevator and I stop dead cold, the same dark figure now stood at the end of the hall. My eyes glued on the figure as I back away before bolting into a run, making a sharp turn into another hall and stop halfway to look back and there it is again. A dark figure but the more I look closely, it's not a dark figure. The figure is dressed in a filthy white dress and has long black hair covering its face making it seem like a dark figure. I turn around and bolt into a run again, not knowing exactly where I'm going but I know I have to get away from that thing. Whatever it is, it's evil, there's something not right about it.

No matter how hard I run I can't seem to escape it, I go to enter a hall, there it is and only a few times it's not there as if it's luring me somewhere and that only further fuels my growing anxiety. What if it wants to lure me to my death?

The lab's doors catch my eyes, it was barely noticeable thanks to the dimly light hallway but I waste no time entering. Pressing the button to make the door close behind me, somehow in my head it will prevent that thing from following me.

I turn around only to have my heart feel like it tried to get out of my chest.

"Told you it would work." Kagari breaks the odd silence as the rest of division one laughs much to my confusion. My eyes scanning the strangely decorated room when my gaze stops onto Karanomori's monitors and I finally understood what had been happening and what was of my anxiety started to disappear and instead got replaced by annoyance and anger.

"Put the lights back on!" I bark, trying to control my anger, "you've all had your fun!"

"Come on Gino! Akane even got you a friendly costume!" Kagari adds, completely ignoring what I just said. Hell they're all ignoring what I just said!

"Costume?" I repeat when I actually processed what Kagari said leaving me even more confused as I continue to scan the room.

What's the deal with these weird decorations and what's with this chilling music? Halloween? What's that?

"I didn't know what you'd like so I got you a vampire costume." Akane tells me, snapping me out of my thoughts. My eyes shifting to the fabric that she's holding and only then I realize that every one of them are dressed in something completely odd.

"What? Why?" Was all I could manage to say.

"Because you suck the life out of things!" Kougami answers and I never had the urge to slap the back of his head as much as I did right now but I think Masaoka must have read my mind and gave him a slap with his real hand causing the others to laugh as Karanomori presses a few keys on her keyboard and then turns off her computer.

I'm not sure what's going on, apparently this was something they've all been working on for a while and now it explains why they were all so eager to leave earlier. To think that they would drag me into this but since I'm here, I might as well stay. I may not find all of this interesting but things like this help boost the team's moral and that's enough of a reason for me.

"Instead of playing this stupid game, you all should have said that you planned this." I voice out as I take a seat next to Masaoka, letting out a sigh. Thinking about everything that happened in the last few minutes but something still puzzled me though.

"I'm curious, how did you manage to create that creepy ass figure in the hall?" I ask. Just reimagining that thing gives me shivers.

"What figure?" Kougami asks with a confused expression. None seem to even understand what I just asked. Figure…?

"Dressed in a dirty tattered white dress and long black hair that covered its face…" I described as I keep thinking about that thing. How the air around me had suddenly turned cold, how I felt like it was human…

Kougami gets up and opens the door, the lights now back on but the air still emitting a chilling feel as he closes the doors again and Karanomori starts her computer again and quickly checks the security footage when an odd blur can be seen near me.

Following me around in the dark hall, staying close and then the blur slowly starts to become a bit more visible until the figure I had seen standing down the hall can be seen and then all the footages goes black when suddenly a face of a child with matted black hair covering its face, skin white as snow and decayed and wrinkled came up on the screen.

Karanomori quickly turned her monitor off as we all looked at each other and vowed to never speak of it again. Never to speak of the dark figure of a child that lurks in the halls of the MWPSB, never to speak of October 31st ever again…


End file.
